Obama Vows to Redouble Efforts to Accept US Indian Country as Sovereign Nations

Draped in a red blanket created for the occasion, US President Barack Obama received accolades as a brother of Indian nations across the United States while hosting the eighth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Obama said Monday’s conference highlights a commitment to redouble efforts to make sure that every agency of the US government consults, listens and works with Indian communities "sovereign to sovereign."

"By creating the White House Council of Native American Affairs, we have created a permanent institution with a long-term Cabinet focus on Indian Country," Obama told a diverse audience of tribal representatives in native dress.

The president’s remarks followed an earlier announcement by the US Department of Justice of $107 million in grants to boost safety and strengthen institutions of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.